The fact that we are meeting in Kyiv now is a miracle, — the Head of the UGCC at a meeting with the delegation of the Catholic bishops of France
On Saturday, September 17, the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, received in his residence in Kyiv the Chairman of the Conference of Bishops of France, Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, and its General Secretary Fr. Hugh de Voimon. The latter arrived in Ukraine for a two-day visit.
The purpose of the visit to Ukraine by the leaders of the French episcopate is to express the support and solidarity of French Catholics to Ukrainians.
Bishop de Moulins-Beaufort assures that the Catholic Church in France sympathizes with the Ukrainian people, with whom the Church is familiar, mainly through the Eparchy of St. Volodymyr in Paris.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, welcoming the guests, thanked Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort and the entire diocese of France for the support of Ukraine from French Catholics and the visit of the delegation to Kyiv. Therefore, the Head of the UGCC shared the experience of the life and service of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in wartime conditions.
“The fact that we are now meeting in Kyiv is a miracle,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav, telling guests from France about the first days of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. He noted that the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church had intensified its social service, trying to respond to the needs of Ukrainians, particularly where there is the greatest need — in the territories close to active hostilities. At the same time, the Church tries to serve people with a word, staying close to them, to support them, especially on the eve of this winter, which “will be very hard.”
The trip to Ukraine was prepared in cooperation with the volunteer organization Œuvre d’Orient (Work of the East), the Order of Malta, the Help to the Church in Need foundation, and the organization Secours Catholique (Catholic Aid), which help victims of the war in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in France. The mentioned organizations claim that they have received a lot of donations, which has not happened for a long time. It shows that Ukraine’s issue aroused the French’s interest and encouraged them to be generous.
The UGCC Department for Information
